[Cardiac transplantation. Selection of patients and long-term results]

Performed for the first time in the world, in December 1967, by Barnard in Capetown, and for the first time in Europe by our team in April 1968, cardiac transplantation has now 20 years of clinical applications. A best selection of the recipients, a more precise selection of donors, refinements in surgical technique, a better and earlier diagnosis of post-operative complications, more effective therapeutic means especially cyclosporin, have brought us, from 1981, such major improvements that many teams were prompted to resume the procedure. In our experience of more than 400 transplants at La Pitié Hospital, a five-year follow-up shows that 70 p. cent of the patients are alive, having resumed a normal familial, social, professional and often sporting life. Much progress remains to be achieved, but this procedure now seems to be quite common if not routine, only limited by the insufficient number of donors.